Normal vs Gel Manicures

I am completely guilty of going to the nail salon for a manicure instead of painting my nails myself. First and foremost, I am awful at painting my own nails. I am right-handed, so my right hand is practically covered in nail polish by the end of it because my left hand is so shaky. Also, the nail salon does such a great job of keeping your nails healthy and clean-cut, and once you go to the same salon as often as my sister and I do, the workers start to remember your name, family, and life story, and you do the same! But, I'm not writing this post to persuade you to go to the nail salon, I'm writing to give you guys my opinion on shellac/gel nail polish and regular nail polish.

I may ramble in this post, but bare with me. Nine out of the ten times my nails are painted, the color is gel. I am a "once you go shellac, you never go back" girl all the way because the color seems to stay on my nails for two weeks with no/minimal chipping. That is just unheard of with regular nail polish! The polish also has almost no drying time! I can leave the nail salon and go run errands, do chores, etc because my nails are dry immediately, but if I get a normal manicure, I feel like I can't do anything for the rest of the day because of the chance of ruining my freshly painted nails. So, I would definitely recommend a gel manicure next time you need one whether you go to the nail salon or use the gel polishes in stores like Sally Hansen and Essie which I also highly recommend. I've tried the Sally Hansen ones, and they seem to work very well!

Now if you decide to get a gel manicure in a nail salon, the different brands of polishes react differently on different nail beds, so it's best to figure out which polish works best for you. An example would be how Essie's gel polish stays on my nails for forever and is fabulous for me, but it does not stay on my sister's nails for long at all. Another example would be how CND's gel polish does not even dry when painted on my nails. No matter how long I put my hands under the dryer, the polish does not dry, but my sister swears by the polish! The workers at the nail salon said that it depends on the oil levels on your nail bed mixing with the polish. I don't know about all that, I just know what polish works with my nails and which don't. Don't get me wrong, I do use regular nail polish all the time (Essie is my fav!), but when in the nail salon, I prefer getting a gel manicure. I hope that this helped some of you guys!

Sweet Sixteen

My 16th birthday was on July 2nd, and may I say, it was one of the best birthdays ever! This was the first birthday that I got to spend with my nephew William, so of course, it was fantastic! I woke up and left to get Starbucks with my dad, and my sister and nephew met us at my house with Chick-fil-A! I, then, got manis and pedis with my sister, and for lunch, we went and ate at Qdoba. That night, I went out to dinner with my entire family, and after dinner, I left to go to my friend's camp with all of my friends for the Fourth of July weekend which was a blast! So needless to say, my birthday was very busy, but it was filled with fun!

For my birthday, I received two very pretty dri-fit golf shirts from my grandmother! I received a pair of chacos, an eno, golf tees, and a golf club cleaner from my parents! My sister, brother-in-law, and nephew gave me some Starbucks frappachino drinks, a super cute shirt from J.Crew, and the cutest Kate Spade clutch ever (y'all it has a toucan on it!! I'm obsessed!!) My middle sister gave me some Sucre macarons which are my absolute favorite and the cutest pink detailed clutch with a tassel! Last but not least, my sister's boyfriend gave me a beautiful bracelet from a local boutique. I am beyond blessed for everything that I received and for all of my friends and family. It's because of them that my birthday was so special! Also, be on the lookout for an Instagram post of my gifts (@styleonthegeaux)!

My Lake Essentials

I would first like to apologize for not staying on my blogging schedule. I have been having some internet issues, but I will start blogging on Tuesdays and/or Fridays again!

Wow, I can't believe that it's already July! June has just flown by, and although I am excited about my birthday tomorrow, I dread July because it means that I am just a month away from school. To celebrate the Fourth of July, I am going to my friend's camp at the lake for the weekend with a bunch of my friends! I am so excited about going even though we are leaving the night of birthday! I was not going to go at first because I wanted to have dinner with my family, but my amazing friend decided that we won't leave until tomorrow night, so I will still be able to eat dinner with my family! Yay for getting the best of both worlds! As I pack for the trip, I decided that it would be a good idea to blog what I pack for the lake and to essentially show my lake essentials. So, here we are!

1. This is a given, but you obviously need to bring a couple of swimsuits to the lake since you will swimming! I'll tag a couple of super cute swim suits here (1, 2, 3)

2. You will also, of course, need a towel to dry off or lay out on either on the dock or boat! Here are a couple of towels that are as functional as they are cute! (1, 2, 3)

3. Sunglasses are a must to protect your eyes from the sun, and I found a perfect pair from J.Crew Factory! I have been wearing them like crazy ever since I bought them! They are not only very inexpensive, but they are reflective! Croakies are also a great idea to keep your sunglasses on you and not lost at the bottom of the lake!

4. I love to bring my chacos with me everywhere especially to the creek, pool, beach, and lake because they are waterproof and still very comfortable when they get wet! I have worn mine every single day since I got them!

5. Last, but certainly not least, I like to bring my eno. Although I just got my eno and have not brought it with me yet, I have used my friends', and they are amazing to bring! You can set them up on your dock and chill over the lake! They are very relaxing, and I am so excited to use mine for the first time this weekend!

What are your plans for the Fourth of July weekend? I would love to know!

picture via

How To Cure Summer Boredom

Here is a list of fun things that I do with my friends during summer so that you can try and make the most out of your Summer as well!

1. "ENO-ING"

After a busy week or if you just want to relax, my friends and I love taking our enos to the nearby lakes or the creek! It's even more fun if you hang them over the water, like we do, so we can swim and do fun things like that too. Just make sure that it's a swim-friendly body of water which is why we only hang them over the creek and not the lakes!

2. SWIM

Whether it's at a friend's house or at a neighborhood/country club pool, swimming with friends is always fun, and you could even make it a fun dinner with hamburgers and things like that as well!

3. FUN DAY AT THE LAKE

If any of your friends have a camp, it is always so much fun to take a boat and go tubing and water skiing at the lakes! You can even turn it into a weekend getaway!

4. GO ON A PICNIC

It's so much fun to go on a picnic with friends! All you need is a picnic blanket, picnic basket, food, and friends! You can play music and make a day out of it!

5. SHOPPING DAY

Find a good mall or shopping center near you and have a blast shopping with your friends! The more opinions the merrier ;)

6. GO GET COFFEE

This could just be for like 30 minutes or an hour, but getting coffee with friends is always easy and fun!

7. MOVIE AND DINNER

Go to a movie and dinner with friends either out or even at someone's house! This is normally my friends and I go-to activity!

Tropical Dress Perfect for Summer

I would, first, like to apologize on behalf of my dogs for photobombing the majority of my pictures :)

In New Orleans, we went shopping in Canal Place, so we obviously had to stop by J.Crew (refer to my Weekend in NOLA post). In J.Crew, I found the cutest dress and wedges, and I knew that I had to get them when I found out that the entire store was on sale!! The dress is the perfect shape, and I love the fun pattern and white outlines. It kind of reminds me of a Lilly dress, and it is perfect for summer!! Also, can we just admire that adorable and fun cutout in the back? It really adds a lot to the dress and makes it more unique! I know that it will be perfect to wear to a party that I have in the French Quarter later on this summer!

Dress // Wedges // Bracelets (1 & 2) // Watch

Summer Wish List

I hope that everyone's summer is going well! I know that mine has been fabulous so far, but it is just flying by in my opinion! So, I thought that now would be as good a time as ever to post my summer wish list. This list was not hard at all to make because I love to dress for summer! On that subject, be on look out for many blog posts about summer outfits because I have a lot planned! Also, I am now done taking trips for the summer, so I am going to be able to blog more and more! This means that I will have a new blog post every Tuesday and/or Friday! Yay!!

Necklace // Hammock // Tumbler // Hat

Swim Suit // Bracelet // Sandals

Weekend in NOLA

I spent the weekend in NOLA with my sisters, and we had a blast and a half! I am so glad that we were able to take a trip with just the three of us! To start off the trip, we went to District Donuts on Magazine Street on Saturday morning which was crazy busy, but it was so worth the wait. Get the croque monsieur on a cronut, and you won't regret it!

We then headed to Canal Place to see Jurassic World, and might I add... It was amazing! I love Jurassic Park, so of course I loved Jurassic World! I would definitely recommend that you go and see it. After the movie, we met up with a friend, Anna, and we all stayed at Canal Place to shop at J.Crew, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Lulu Lemon!

By the time we were done shopping, it was already 3 pm, so we ate a late lunch/early dinner at Cowbell on Oak Street. They have the absolute best mac and cheese and burgers! As a tip that our waitress gave us, dip your french fries into the left over cheese from your mac and cheese! You then have delicious cheese fries!

To end the day, I (finally) visited The Grove Street Press which Anna owns with her cousin, Kate. They sell letter-pressed cards and prints, and they press each and every card and print by hand. I am so honored to have been able to get an up-close and personal tour of the factory. To see more of what they do, follow them on Instagram (@thegrovestreetpress)!

Memorial Day Weekend 2015

Excuse my long absence, but I have been crazy busy lately with trips and school (mainly exams)! I spent my Memorial Day in Orange Beach, Alabama with my family, and the relaxing trip was muchly needed! I have never seen the water so clear in Alabama! I know that this post isn't much, but I just wanted to update y'all and let you know that I am still going to be posting, but I was just very busy! I can't wait to see what this summer has in store for me and my blog! Enjoy!!

Bike Rides and Milkshakes

I love chocolate and peanut butter milkshakes. End of story. I, also, can't drive because I'm only 15, so when I told my sister that I wanted a milkshake, she told me that I could ride my bike to get one or I wasn't getting one. Of course I was going to ride my bike!! This then turned into a really cute opportunity for pictures! So, here we are. Also, remember when I told you about those really cute J.Crew espadrilles that I got for Easter? Well I'm wearing them and aren't they darling?

Tee and Shorts (J.Crew Factory) // Espadrilles

Lilly Pulitzer for Target

Lilly Pulitzer for Target launches on April 19th, and yes, I will be the first one through the doors on Sunday morning! I am too excited for this dynamic duo because as most of you know, my three favorite things are Target, Lilly Pulitzer, and Starbucks, and my Target has a Starbucks inside, so now all three of my favorite things will be under one roof! I do understand why some people were upset about the collaboration making Lilly Pulitzer look "cheaper" and making the brand "less exclusive", but I do think that this collaboration will reach a wider audience, and everyone deserves to feel good wearing a Lilly dress even if they don't want to pay the full amount for a normal Lilly dress.

Since I am so ecstatic about this collaboration, I thought that I would choose some of my favorite things from the collection and share them with you guys! I have a feeling that some of you won't look through all of my picks since I do have a lot of favorites, but what can I say? I absolutely adore this collection, and I'm pretty sure that I am going to own everything in Nosie Posey by the end of it!!

Check out the look book and preview of the collection here: Lilly Pulitzer for Target

 

Okay, so the second and third pictures are both shift dresses, and you'll never believe the price! They're only $38!! I really hope that these dresses are as cute in person as they are on screen!

I have been wanting a weekender bag for a while now, and I am so glad that I held off buying one because I absolutely adore this navy weekender bag! I can't wait to get it and a matching cosmetic bag... or two! It's only $50!

Spring Favorites

Happy Spring Break! I'm currently on Spring Break, so what do I do? Plan future blog posts of course... Along with watching Criminal Minds and eating Cadbury Mini Eggs, but that's another story. My schedule tomorrow is very busy, but I will hopefully have another post up for you tomorrow evening. If not though, be on the look out for another post soon!

So, I decided that I would put together a handful of my favorite clothing items that I've been wearing a lot this Spring! I will link the products below, so I hope that y'all enjoy!

Isn't this swim suit adorable? I got it from Target. but it reminds me of a Mara Hoffman top! I love it, and I can't wait to wear it at the beach this week!

I got these shorts from J.Crew, and I absolutely adore the scalloped pockets! It adds such a cute and unique touch to the shorts. I also love the bright polka dots! These shorts remind me so much of Summer!!

I recently purchased these shorts from J.Crew Factory, and I love them! I have never seen shorts with this type of pattern, so I knew that I just had to get them! They are a fun pair of shorts that I love to pair with a basic top so that my outfit isn't too busy and all eyes are on my shorts.

These are by far my favorite pair of shorts that I own! I also purchased these from J.Crew Factory because I mean where else do you go to buy cute shorts? They are so bright and fun, and I'm a sucker for a good floral print.

Last but not least, here is my favorite white tank. It is super soft, and I love the eyelet cutouts. It gives a pop of something to a basic tank.

Swimsuit // Polka Dot Shorts // Geometric Pattern Shorts

Flower Shorts // White Tank

Happy Easter

Happy Easter! I hope that the Easter Bunny was good to you! He sure was to me! I am currently drowning in candy, and I got the cutest J.Crew espadrilles! Check my Instagram (@styleonthegeaux) for a picture of my basket!

Today, I went to my aunt and uncle's house with my entire family, and I had a blast! I got to see everyone, and I finally got to wear my new Lilly Pulitzer dress, so that was a major plus! Here is my bright and fun Easter outfit!